Mapping the World by Heart

If you placed blank sheets of paper in front of your students, could they draw a detailed map of the entire world? It may seem hard to believe, but after exploring the innovative Mapping the World by Heart curriculum, students in grades 5-12 have a comprehensive knowledge of geography that allows them to map the world entirely from memory!

Teaches students to draw – entirely from memory – detailed world maps including the names, borders, mountain ranges, rivers, and major cities of more than 190 countries.

Gets students excited about geography and encourages them to think globally.

Promotes positive student interactions and collaboration, both in small group work and as a class.

Provides teachers with flexible lessons they can easily integrate into their existing curriculum.

Gives students a constructive goal to work towards all year long.

Introductory Video

About Mapping the World by Heart

Designed for grades 5-12, Mapping the World by Heart includes a set of maps and a comprehensive teacher’s guide that makes it easy to integrate lessons and activities into any class’s existing curriculum. Combining memorization with the real use of knowledge, practice, mnemonics, large and small group activities, and games, Mapping the World by Heart inspires students to study – and love – geography.

The award-winning curriculum is the creation of David J. Smith, a teacher with over 25 years' experience in the middle school classroom. TIME Magazine, NBC’s Today Show, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Associated Press have written about David Smith and the great success his curriculum has brought to classrooms across the country.

FableVision founder Peter H. Reynolds fell in love with David's breakthrough approach almost 20 years ago. He was with Tom Snyder Productions when they first published Mapping the World by Heart in 1992. At that time, Peter provided the charming illustrations for the teacher’s guide, which remain with the product to this day.

When it was first released, Mapping the World by Heart was awarded the “Breaking the Mold” Award by the U.S. Department of Education. It has been through nine complete revisions, and is updated regularly.

7 World maps – blank grids and filled-in outline maps of the world in each of three projections – Mercator, Robinson, and Equirectangular.

8 maps include blank grids and filled-in outline maps for the United States, Mexico, Canada, and North America.

How many map sets will I need?

FableVision Learning offers the maps for Mapping the World by Heart in sets. Each set contains ten 11"x17" double-sided full color regional maps, and seven 11"x17" black outline world maps (including three blank grids which students can use as they learn to create their own maps). There are also eight 8.5"x11" black outline maps for the appendices. Each student will need at least one map set, although you may want to order more to have additional copies for review or enrichment. You will want to make copies of the blank grids for the black outline world maps, so students can practice on them.